Forget nuclear for now and use alternatives

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Even though the second Tim Flannery article ("Nuclear future",
Herald, September 26) seems, at first, to open the door to
nuclear power, it is clear by the end of the article that the
nuclear option is not the way to go in Australia. It is too
expensive and too dangerous to be practical. In addition, once the
necessary vast sums are expended on a nuclear-based power grid, we
will have created an entrenched industry that, to protect its
investment, will do whatever it takes to derail the development of
safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives, just like the
current fossil fuel industry is doing.

The sad fact is that there is no viable alternative that will
produce the amount of electricity that is needed, and there
probably won't be until controlled hydrogen fusion or controlled
antimatter annihilation is mastered. In the meantime, it will be
necessary to phase out fossil fuel-powered generators with wind,
geothermal, solar and tidal generators while, at the same time, and
most importantly, drastically reducing per capita consumption of
power in the developed world. The latter is really the only action
that will have a chance of saving the planet.

Bob Thomas Bowral

Tim Flannery has written about climate change and some different
solutions including nuclear power. There are all sorts of comments
offering solutions. Nowhere have I read or heard about actually
reducing our use of energy. A solar hot-water heater on every house
is one simple way in Australia. It would create a large industry to
supply and service the demand while reducing our energy costs and
greenhouse emissions. Too simple?

John Gorton Port Macquarie

The story of Easter Island haunts historians. How could a people
be so short-sighted as to cut down their last tree, thereby
ensuring their own demise? Here's a clue. On Saturday was the
grimmest report on climate change I have seen in my years of
reading the Herald. "Our civilisation faces its darkest
hour" ran the headline.

On Monday, 12 readers made suggestions about what the Federal
Government should do with surplus funds. Although several of the
letters were pro-environmental, not one suggested using the funds
to reduce our output of carbon dioxide.

Carl Sparre Eastwood

Too darn hot? Buy an air- conditioner make that two. Your
purchase will add to global warming, but heck - we've got an
economy to grow.

Gordon Hocking Oyster Bay

Tim Flannery's discussion of the issue of alternative power
sources misrepresents the extent of the accident at Chernobyl. The
latest estimates from the ongoing UN study, quoted in your
newspaper last month, put the death toll to date at about 50, with
4000 potential deaths anticipated. While 1800 thyroid cases have
been identified, the death toll quoted by Flannery is just
wrong.

Nuclear power needs to be examined critically, but it is very
important not to overstate, or understate, the consequences of the
Chernobyl accident.

Professor Aidan Byrne Department of Physics, ANU,
Canberra

On the same day I read Tim Flannery's thoughts on climate
change, and his inference that it is creating more frequent and
more devastating hurricanes, I read an equally compelling article
in The Economist about a study that showed no correlation
between rising surface temperatures in the six ocean basins where
hurricanes form and the recent increase in the frequency or
ferocity of the storms.

What is one to believe? Everything from earthquakes to typhoons
are blamed on climate change and recent doomsday predictions are
based, at best, on worst-case scenarios produced by climate
modelling that most legitimate scientists acknowledge is highly
speculative.

One could be forgiven for thinking that a scientist of Dr
Flannery's calibre should flower his comments with a bit more fact
and a little less emotion, unless his only aim is to sell a
book.

David Schad Dural

In the context of Tim Flannery's call to action on global
warming, the proposed energy-guzzling desalination plant is an
archaic and downright irresponsible solution for Sydney's water
needs.

Georgina Friday Willoughby

Our former prime minister, Bob Hawke, has hit the airwaves
advocating that Australia become the dumping ground for the world's
nuclear waste. During one of his election campaigns he famously
called an elderly voter a "silly old bugger". Now he is one.

Trevor Nayler Ermington

Labor lackeys in terrorism's theatre of the absurd

Has anyone noticed that this crazy bidding war over
anti-terrorism laws ("PM resists use-by date on terrorism powers",
Herald, September 27) is more and more resembling a Monty
Python sketch? It starts relatively normal and sane and then gets
progressively more absurd.

Is the terrorism threat so dire that we need to sign away our
civil rights this way? Are the laws really going to help much
anyway? There is far more danger to everyone from traffic accidents
or heart disease or cancer. In the meantime, real and large-scale
threats, such as global warming and bird flu, hardly raise a
ripple.

Robert Howard Vaucluse

Most people agree, albeit reluctantly, that the police need more
powers than normal to combat terrorism. However, it is necessary
more than ever that these powers be given only to the police, not
the faceless fools in the secret service or intelligence agencies.
And people detained must be presented to a court of law, even if
they have yet to be charged.

There is much reference to slippery slopes these days and the
position presented to us in the name of safety is surely at the
edge of the steepest, most slippery slope of all. May we tread
wisely and carefully.

E.E. Cook Ainslie (ACT)

When Robert Menzies attempted to ban the Communist Party, Labor,
under the flawed Doc Evatt, stood up to be counted. Instead of
meekly following, Evatt launched a principled campaign, and in the
subsequent referendum, Australians supported democratic freedom
over scaremongering.

The sight of Labor premiers trooping to Canberra to inevitably
support John Howard's continued dismantling of our fundamental
tenets of democracy is pitiful. Howard has Labor spooked in a way
that even Menzies could only dream about.

Mark Latham is right on one thing: Labor stands for nothing.

Greg Loder Springwood

New laws? Proof positive the terrorists have won.

Paul Hopmeier Lane Cove

Councillors may have a touch of sun

Another harebrained scheme from Randwick City Council. They
couldn't get the parking meter idea up, so now they're trying to
install deckchairs for hire at Clovelly pool ("Deckchair or towel
class, love?", Herald, September 27). Not for profit, mind
you, purely for the comfort of visitors who don't like sitting on
that hard concrete the council has slapped around. What next?
Compulsory insurance to be taken out for protection against those
scary blue gropers?

Sam Gordon Clovelly

Not satisfied with its mindless vandalism in concreting over
most of the northern side of Clovelly Bay, Randwick council now
demonstrates that when it comes to being out of touch it is in a
league of its own. I suggest the Mayor, Councillor Ted Seng, and
his buddies have been sitting on deckchairs in the hot sun a little
more than is good for them.

Tom McGinness Randwick

Drive now, pay later

"People say, what about the environment? For me, my children's
safety is more important," says Chris Rooney ("They're big,
aggressive beasts - and that's just the drivers", Herald,
September 27). She may want to consider what kind of environment
her children will have in 30 years' time. Or, perhaps, consider the
safety of others' children as these oversized machines duck in and
out of school zones with seemingly no regard for anyone else.

Ian Holder Bossley Park

Chris Rooney, when your (and my) children are struggling for
fresh air and clean water under a pitiless sun, I'm sure they will
thank you profusely for driving them to kindergarten in a tank.

Harry Rowland O'Connor (ACT)

Proud Aussie, but

Suggestions that it will take more than 12 months for David Hicks
to obtain British citizenship seem strange to me ("British
citizenship delay pits Hicks against time", Herald,
September 27). I applied for British citizenship on 2002 by virtue
of my father's British citizenship. Three documents sent by
registered mail, a cheque and a declaration, and I had my passport
in my hands in just three working days.

I am glad for my British citizenship. Although I am a proud
Australian, I know that if I am in trouble overseas the Australian
Government will do little, and it will likely be the British
Government that will bail me out. It is sad that this is the case,
but it is the cold reality.

Seumas Hyslop Rozelle

Put port elsewhere

Frank Sartor could step into John Howard's shoes in a heartbeat
with his arrogant intention to keep the Port Botany expansion
decision a secret until he has approved it ("Anger over decision to
keep port study secret", Herald, September 26). With this
already congested area (airport, chemical plants, fuel terminals),
one would think Newcastle or Port Kembla would be the sensible
choice. Do we really need another terrorist target in our city?

Brian Johnson Gymea

Judged wanting

So, if I follow James Allan ("Let's draw a line through a bill of
rights", Herald, September 26), the objection to a bill of
rights is that a judge might have to interpret and enforce it,
something better left (although I'm not at all sure how - and it
isn't clear that James is, either) to voters at election time.
You're at the top of your powers, James, and no mistake. The
thought of letting all those libertarian judges interpret the law
and enforce it is, godammit, downright frightening. If the judges
are allowed to do that, why, it won't be long before someone will
say they could decide criminal cases, trade practices disputes and
tax questions, things which we voters are obviously much better at
doing than any silly old judge.

Peter Rosier Annandale

Cabbies on track

Sydney taxi drivers have taken action themselves to equip cabs with
global positioning systems (Letters, September 26). The NSW Taxi
Drivers Association is recommending that all drivers fit a new
GPS/Eftpos/hands-free mobile to help better service passengers. It
will be funded by the credit card surcharge - a win-win for
passengers and cabbies alike.

Michael Jools Rozelle

I have experimented with a GPS between Cronulla and the city.
First it tried to persuade me to go via Rockdale rather than
Brighton-le-Sands, and then it tried to get me to do a right turn
in the middle of Southern Cross Drive. They are of assistance, but
I wouldn't like to rely on them, and they certainly cannot tell you
to avoid crowded roads.

John Ready Cronulla

Deserving rich

Can David Ashton of Orange (Letters, September 26) answer this: why
should I, as a relatively high income earner, contribute more to
society because I have worked hard and got where I am today? Does
that mean I should pay more for hospitals and schools even though I
use them as much or even less than someone who doesn't work or
doesn't earn as much as me?

If there is more money left at the end of the financial year,
give it to the people who put it there: the payers of high tax.

A. Perry Quakers Hill

Hello, it's the bush

The rest of NSW is constantly ignored by a Sydney that is
inward-looking and conceited. We too have high fuel prices, crappy
roads, bad hospitals and the like. The deafening silence in Sydney
about the woes of the rest of the state says it all. We listen to
you bleat about being 10 minutes late for work because the tunnel
is too expensive and the roads are clogged. Then we look around us
and wonder where all the money is going. It's all invested in
bloody big holes in the ground so Sydneysiders can avoid catching a
bus.

Peter Williams Leeton

Scalping is fair play

Can someone explain why scalping is such a dastardly crime ("Yours
for $1000 - a grand final ticket", Herald, September 27)? To
me, it looks like a free-market solution to a situation of fixed
supply but changeable demand. Yes, original ticket buying
opportunities should be maximised by limiting block purchases and
the like. But, after that, if I buy a ticket that I no longer wish
to keep, and find a willing buyer, then I don't understand why the
original seller of the ticket should care. They suffer no loss, no
other existing ticket holder is disadvantaged, and I take the risk
on cost recovery.

Brendan Jones Annandale

Nostalgia rules the headline hit parade

With Herald headlines and photo captions like "Egrets, they
had a few" and "Bush says he will not, he will not be moved"
(September 24-25), as well as "Fly me to the moon or, better still,
Adelaide" (September 26), I wonder if your subeditors trained at
the Conservatorium of Music around 1960.

Caroline Cass Bondi

Sorry about that, Chief

"Missed it by that much." Agent 86 dies aged 82.

Allan Gibson Cherrybrook

Franglais

Following all the recent sporting successes and subsequent
interviews with players, interviewers, broadcasters and sportsmen,
please note the word is "camaraderie" from the French, not
"comraderie" from the Gough Whitlam.

Victoria Brown Ingleburn

Burst bubble

My life feels empty. No longer do I have Keith Austin or Popsi
Bubblehead to entertain me on a Tuesday morning. The irony of Good
Food Month without Keith has not been lost on me.

Monique Darcy Frenchs Forest

A tall story

I am now really curious. Is our esteemed and erudite fellow letters
contributor from Balmain, Bruce Spence (Letters, September 27), the
long, tall actor from ABC TV's Certain Women and other more
recent television productions? I must know.

A.M. Doe Russell Lea

Shake down the thunder

The guys at onlinecatholics .com.au who have been complaining about
Cardinal Pell's elegant and entirely appropriate attire clearly
have far too much time on their hands (Spike, September 26).

It is a sign of His Eminence's well-known broadmindedness that
he dressed on that occasion in Sydney Swans colours even though he
is a Richmond supporter. It seems to have worked, though.

Ephraem Chifley Glebe

In response to Christopher Kernahan's question on whether it is
too late to jump on the Swannies' bandwagon (Letters, September
26), perhaps he should consider the Tigers' one as it seems to be
attracting its fair share of part-time supporters.

Andrew Forster Balmain

I'm no Henry Lawson, Ian Semmel (Letters, September 27), but I
call this The Man from Flyin' Mark:

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